Manufacture of hydrogen



PM Mar.;24; 1, 1 V v 1,797,426

1;UNlTED sTA'ra-s PATENT. OFFICE I r. mason, or miseries, n'nmwania, assumes. no no roirr mam oonronarros, or wnmeron, namwans, a conromrroii or nanawm murac'rum or njxnaoomw Io Dram original application fled. Kay 15, 1928, Serial $0. $78,048. Divided and-this application ale "d July 2, 1828. Serial No. 290,058.

' This invention relates to the production As examples of oxides thatare suitable of hydrogen from steam and carbon monox for incorporation-with copper in the cataide. The present ap lication is a division of lytic bodies contemplated by the invention m copendin app ication, Serial .Number I mention the oxides of the elements zinc, l 278 048, filed y 15, 1928. tungsten, chromium, molybdenum, cerium, I-lydrogen may be prepared by the catavanadium, manganese, uraniumand magn latic reaction of steam with carbon monoxsium. The catalysts may be repare by i e according to the equation: various methods suitable for t e ma'nufac 0=H +00 ture of catalytic materials. Thus an intimate mixture of copper oxide and one or more ir- In practical operation the volume ratio of reducible oxides to be incorporated therewith steamto hydrogen is preferably at least 1.5.:1. may be prepared by trituratin co-preci i- This process as found considerable comtating or fusing a mixture 0% the oxi es. mercial ap lication in the manufacture of The product may then be formed into tablets ic hydrogen om aseous fuels such as wateror anules of suitable size and shape and, if

gas, coal gas, co e oven gas, etc. desired, submitted preliminarily to reduc- It is the object of the present invention to tion to "convert the cop er oxide to metal beprovide an improved process for manufacfore the catalyst is use ;or alternatively the .turing hydrogen in accordance with the reduction of the copper oxide contained in ac foregoing reaction, the invention involving the catalyst may be carried out in situ by'the the use of catalysts of superior activity, careaction mixture of steam and carbon monable of greatly accelerating the reaction and -oxide. .Similarly suitable mixtures of. the increasing the efliciency of the process. catalytic elements may be prepared. by ig- Other objects and advantages of the in-' nition of mixtures of salts thereof, by pre- 35 vention will be apparent as it is better underparin chemical compounds with copper and 15 stood by reference to the following specificaone o more of the irreducible oxides, and by tion in which its details and preferred 'emother methods adapted for the preparation" bodiments are described. of a body of material containing copper in I have discovered that improved results. relatively intimate association with one or 30 may be obtained in the manufacture of hymore irreducible oxides of the second to the drogen by causing steam and carbon monoxsixth periodic groups.

ide, mixed preferably in a volume ratio 0 As illustrative ofthe' relative proportions at least 1.5:1,.to react at atemperature sufand methods of preparing the catalysts deficiently elevated to efi'ect the reaction scig bed, t1}: follpivilng examplesdare given:

as v c wamp etcupric oxi econtaining H2O+CO Hz-FOO? an admixture of 5% chromium oxide, allow in the resenceof a catal st containing copto cool, and crush to suitable size. per an one or more irre ucible metalhc ox- Ewample 2.-Ignite a mixture comprising ides belonging to the second to the sixth 'equal moles of copper nitrate and manga- 4 oups of the periodic -system. Catalysts of nese nitrate. When the nitratehas been det is character are unusually active, permit composed allow the mass to cool and crush the'initiation of the reaction at lower tem to suitable size.

eratures than is possible with previously Example 3.-M elt cupric oxide together lown catalysts, on account of their high .ac with 15% by weight Z1110 oxide; cool and 45 tivity reduce the amount of heatexchange crush to suitable size. r required between incoming and outgoing Emample tfi-Prepare a dilute solution, ases, generally increase the efiiciency of the about 10%, 'comprisingequal moles of copmanufacturing operation and thus materialper nitrate and magnesium mtrate. Slowly ly contribute to reducing the costs of the hyadd to this solution dilute ammonia, about 5 droger produced. 10%, until the characteristic bluecupric am- Example 6'.-'To a dilute solution contain-.

mg one mole of copper sulfate and two moles of manganese sulfate add a solution containin three moles .of ammonium chromate. A d some ammonia to complete the precipitation. -Wash the precipitate until practically free-from ammonium sulfate, filter the I copper-manganese-chromate mixture, dry the filter cake at approximately 100 C. and

crush it 'into particles of suitable size.

In each of the foregoing examples the catalyst before 'use is preferably subjected to reduction with hydrogen at a temperature within the range of 100-300 0.; however,

the reduction may be effected in. situ by means of thereaction mixture of steam and carbon monoxide. In manufacturing hydrogen the catalyst chosen for the purpose is disposed in a suitable reaction apparatus through which there is passed a mixture of steam and carbon monoxide, preferably in i the volume ratio of at least 1.5: 1, and preliminarily freed from sulfur com ounds and other substances deleterious to th The carbon monoxide used is preferably a commercial s containing large concentrations of car dn monoxide, e. gfupward of 20% by volume. The reaction ma be carried out at-atmospheric pressure, at pressuresof from about 10 to 100 atmospheres 'are preferred. The temperature employed to chan will depend upon the catalyst, the composition of theraw materials and the'desired composition of the reaction products. It must be sufiicient to efl'ect the desired reaction. Temperatures above 300 C. and upward 600 C. or higher give conversion. V

I I have no explanation or theory to offer as that may occur in 'the catalysts herein escribed, either during their preparation or actual use. It is well known that while materials of known form and composition may-initially be introduced into the reaction I apparatus as catalyst, the exact chemical state in which they exist during reaction cannot be ascertained. Consequently is used to desm the claims the term copper w free or chemimetallic oxides and e catalyst.

satisfactory 7 cally combined state; applied to the elements associated with copper includes the oxide as such or in combination with one or more other elements.

The process herein described may be applied to the production of hydrogen from carbon monoxide gases obtained from a variety of sources, and is particularly useful when applied-to gases containing hlgh concentrations of carbon monoxide, e. g. upwardsof 20% by volume of carbon monoxide, as for example gases obtained by the direct oxidation of carbonaceous fuel or as a by-product from such processes as the ma ufacture of metals or rliiietallic carbides from co e.

Various changes may be made in the method herein described without departin from the invention or sacrificing any of t e advantages thereof.

I'claim:

, 1. The process of producing hydrogen which comprises causing steam to react with carbon monoxide according to the reaction H O CO =H CO, in the presence of a catalyst containing copper and zinc oxide.

2. The process of producing hydrogenwhich comprises submitting steam and carbon monoxlde to the action of a catalyst at a temperature. sufiiciently elevated to effect the reaction 1 said catalyst containing copper and zinc oxide.

, '4. The process of producing hydrogen which comprises submitting steam and .carbon monoxide. to theaction of a 'catal st at a tem r'ature exceeding about 300 6., said cata yst containing copper and .zinc: oxlde.

and the term oxide as 5. The process of producing hydrogen which comprises mixing steam with a ous mixture containing upward of 20% of carbon' monoxide. and causm the steam and carbon monoxide in the res tant mixture to react according to thereaction in the presence of a catalyst containing copper and zinco 'de.

6. The process of which comprises submittingsteam and-carbon monoxide at a pressurev exceeding atgaseproducing. hydrogen momma mospherio to the action of a catalyst at a temperature sufficiently elevated to effect the reaction sai ii catalyst containing copperand zinc In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature.

ALFRED T. LARSON. 

